An open letter to the Government

**From: the editors of Britain's major motoring magazines

Help Britain's new car buyers NOW!**

In an unprecedented move, the editors and publishers of Britain's biggest car magazines and websites have joined forces to urge the Government to support demands to stimulate new car sales in the UK.

Haymarket Media Group (publishers of What Car?, Autocar, Evecars and PistonHeads) and Dennis Publishing Ltd (publishers of Auto Express, evo and iMotor) are calling on the Government to urgently implement a Scrappage Incentive Scheme, similar to those already successfully employed in European countries, including France and Germany.

Under the proposed scheme, the Government will pay owners of cars over nine years old 2000 towards the cost of buying a new car if they agree to scrap their old vehicle.

Haymarket Media Group and Dennis Publishing Ltd believe the scheme, proposed by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and supported by the vast majority of the leading motor manufacturers, will deliver real and major help in the current recession to the consumer, as well as to 'UK plc' and its workforce.

It is a fact that older cars are more polluting, more expensive to maintain and less safe than newer, cleaner, more reliable vehicles. Under the Scrappage Incentive Scheme, owners of older cars will be given a huge incentive and opportunity to change to a safer, cleaner, more economical, hi-tech vehicle.

Scrappage Incentive Schemes are already in place in many countries in Europe and have seen consumer confidence begin to return to the car buying market. In Germany in February, a Scrappage Incentive Scheme delivered an increase in new car sales of 21 per cent. Sales figures have been equally impressive in France.

Haymarket Media Group and Dennis Publishing urge every reader to join our campaign for a better deal for the car buyer.

Register your support for the introduction of a Scrappage Incentive Scheme in the UK at:

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/scrappagescheme.

Signed

Steve Fowler, What Car?
Chas Hallett, Autocar
Chris Rosamond, PistonHeads
Alex Jenner-Fust, Evecars.com
David Johns, Auto Express
Harry Metcalfe, evo
Mat Watson, iMotors

Download a PDF of our [](https://www.whatcar.com/images/subscription/Scrappage Letter.pdf)Open Letter to the Government